Renowned poet Abdullah Kamaal

Most important Urdu poet Abdullah Kamal is no more. He passed away on May 18, 2010 in Mumbai. He suffered a cardiac arrest.

Kamal was amongst the last generation of Urdu poets in subcontinent that not only had complete domination over Urdu elocution but also made full use of the inheritance of Urdu poetry from Wali to Meer and Ghalib to Nasir Kazmi.

Abdullah Kamal was 62. He had been connected with various magazines and had two collections of poetry to his name. He was living in Mumbra for a few years and avoided attending occasions due to his poor health.

Tributes were presented to him at a commiseration meeting in Kurla. The speakers rued that litterateurs are fleeting away and there are barely any new poets seen that can fill this empty space.

Kamaal’s passing away didn’t get mention in papers as well as on websites. An admired visitor to this blog had pinched my attention towards the reality. Though he lived in Mumbai, Kamal kept himself limited to literary circles. He had nothing but disapproval for self-projection and publicity tactics despite the fact that this is also an explanation that he didn't get the due gratitude outside Urdu world.

Abdullah Kamal was born in Muzaffarpur on April 17, 1948. He made Mumbai his home in 1966. Life has never been easy for Kamal but he struggled to live in dignity. He is one of the very few modernists who achieved name in Urdu world.